Back to the Simple Life

Product Notes

BILLY PAYNE A Country Music Singer for the last 16 years has been awarded for his work in music. His First Album No Limit On Love gained him Popularity. Most recently he has received airplay and reviews for his second release Back To The Simple Life, All over the World including Canada, Europe, Spain, New Zealand and Australia and just completed an Interview with Allegheny Mountain Radio in Holland The Billy Payne Story which aired in Holland U.K, West Virgina, Virginia and Kentucky May 2006 and April 2006 He landed on the Country Club Music Charts in EUROPE at # 4 with Blue Skies Mountain Air & Clear Water from that Album. Just as of August 12th 2006 Billy has been receiving Heavy Airplay across Europe. According to ARA Radio 103.3 MHz and 105.2 MHz in Europe. ARA Radio in Europe just completed an interview with Billy recorded June 2006 in Nashville, Tn. and is playing all across Europe. During the late '60s if you happened to be walking by the home of Billy and Anna Payne you would have heard the country music sounds of George Jones, Bill Anderson, Charley Pride and little eight year-old Billy Payne. Billy's family lived in the Appalachian Mountains of southern West Virginia, an area known for country music. The Payne name was known in the area as being synonymous with music since Billy's ancestors had been playing for dances, family and church functions there for a number of years. Billy has lived in that same area all his life. At about age four, he can remember watching Porter Wagoner and Bill Anderson on television and his love affair with country music was started. At about age eight Billy took an interest in listening to records and his first two albums were Johnny Cash at San Quentin and The Best Of Charley Pride, a testament to his love of traditional country music. Billy was also a big fan of George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, Jr. and Willie Nelson and credits them as the reasons he wanted to become a country singer. Billy got his first guitar at age 12 and, after teaching himself to play, started playing and singing around the house. As a teenager, he spent many hours practicing and recording him self at home before he finally got enough confidence to step on a stage in 1991. During most of 1991, Billy played at a local nightclub as a member of a house band called Country Tradition. Later that year he helped form another local country group called Bandolero and worked with them until early 1992. It was also in 1992 that Billy started writing songs and by mid-summer he had formed his own band called Sidewinder. That group worked nightclubs, private parties, festivals and fairs (including the West Virginia State Fair) throughout most of the state until late 1999, becoming one of the most popular bands in the area. In 1998 Billy and the band entered a contest near Charleston, West Virginia where they won first place. A video of their performance eventually reached Jim Case, president of Aaron Records in Nashville. Case contacted Billy about meeting with him and following the meeting; Billy was signed to Aaron Records to do a one-album project. The album was produced in Nashville, Tennessee buy Jim Case and engineered by well-known producer Buddy Hyatt. Billy's first single, 'No Limit On Love' was released to radio stations in the United States and Europe in May 2000. Well-known Nashville songwriters Freddy Weller and Bobby Fisher, and Bobby's son Robbi, penned the title song, which took Billy all the way to the Independent Country chart landing at # 9 in December 2000. Since then Billy has seen more chart success with his second single 'Nadine' penned by legend Chuck Berry was released to worldwide radio and in the summer of 2002 Billy's single 'Nadine' reached the top ten Indie Country Chart at # 8. In July of 2003 Billy's third single 'She Got Away With Good-Bye' reached the Indie Country chart at # 27 and The Top Independent Country Artist of The World Chart at # 27 also in July 2003. The 'No Limit On Love' album has brought Billy Payne recognition all over the world for the past 6 years since it's release in 2000. With album reviews in Canada, Europe, and radio play all over the world to his credit. Billy has been a guest on Oprystar Spotlight on WSM, the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree in Nashville, Tennessee and The Capital Music Hall in Wheeling, WV. Billy has moved up to the second phase of his recording career, no longer with the Aaron label. Billy and producer Buddy Hyatt was in the studio late 2004 for his new project 'Back To The Simple Life', recorded at Fun House Studio in Nashville, Tennessee and released in February 2005. Thus far the album is already receiving recognition in the U.S., Europe, Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. No matter what the future holds for Billy Payne, one thing for sure -- he will be a die-hard country singer to the end. His genuine personality, and great talent should take him a long way. BIOGRAPHY OF BILLY PAYNE: I was raised in a small community. The same place I have been all my life. A Coal Camp. My Dad was and still is a Very Hard Working Man. He is retired, but you can't tell him that. He always has to be doing something. My Mother is retired and she likes it!!! They are wonderful people and I love them dearly and so does everyone that knows them. Neither one of them is musically inclined. I have a Brother - six years my junior. He's not a Singer he is a Surface Miner by trade, just like my Dad. When I was a child I used to ride in the back window of our car. I didn't ride in the seat, I really liked to lay down and look up at the sky and the stars and just think and listen to the radio. I did this in every vehicle we had until I couldn't fit up there anymore. When I was in the first grade my Parents bought me three Christmas presents that year. One being a flip-up lid type record player and two long play LP's. 'Johnny Cash at San Quentin' and 'The Best Of Charley Pride'. This was my first 'trip' down the Country Music Highway. I say 'trip' because that is what it was in my mind. I was just mesmerized by the sound I heard. I was on a 'journey' that I really saw coming early in my life, but did not know when. But I knew what I wanted because I would act the part, stand in front of a mirror and sing my heart out. I would pretend to be Johnny, Charley, or the other Country Singers that I watched on television back then, such as Porter Wagner and Bill Anderson. By the early 70's I was knocked out by the 'Outlaw Movement' even though George Jones is still one of my favorite Country Singers. The music of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson was it for me. It has an edge to it that other country music does not. Well for me it does. I was doing the same thing, pretending to be those guys not knowing I was really practicing to be what I am today. Time went on and I never walked away from music. I always had to have the latest new LP or 8-track from either one of those men. I would buy them and listen to each one over and over again. I was hooked. It was definitely an addiction so to speak. I just had to have it! I would ride my bike with an 8-track player tied to the handlebars so I could listen to all of my music. I bought the music with the money I was making cutting my Grandmother's lawn. I can remember listening to Hank Williams, Jr. singing 'Angels Are Hard To Find' over and over 'til I learned every word. That was one of my favorite songs back then and still is today. I also would listen to George Jones like he was the only man on earth. I would collect everything I could find of him and sing all of his songs too. And of course Elvis also. But that goes without saying. Then there was Merle Haggard. He had the same edge as Waylon & Willie to me. I always like to hear Merle, Waylon, & Willie play their guitars and wish they would play more riffs on their albums than they did. They always left me wanting more. I love to hear a guitar really talk especially the way they could make the guitar sound. Without a doubt, they are the reason I play guitar today. I got my first guitar around the age of 12. My Dad bought it from his first Cousin for $12 dollars. I wanted it so bad. I can remember it was a Silvertone Black with white binding 'F' note. The reason for getting it for $12 dollars is that I can remember my Dad asking how much his Cousin wanted for it, and he asked my Dad how much would he pay and Dad said, 'I'll give you what I have in my pocket'. Then his Cousin said 'okay'. It was the only $12 dollars my Dad had at the time. I'll never forget that ever! I kept it for a long time until it was damaged and unrepairable. I wish I still had it today. That was when I would sit and play guitar with my Cousin and watch them and try to learn everything they did and go home and play it. But I could only play it my way. I just couldn't get it to sound like they did. I basically taught myself how to play the guitar. I'm sure glad I did. I love it so much!! But to get back to the music. I would sing at home then after I was grown, I joined a Local Band and played a brief stint with them, and then helped form another Band and then six months later - I had my own Band and I still do. That is all I've ever wanted to do. So I do just that. I get on the stage and I sing to the crowd and I use the stage presence that I learned from all of my Heroes. I love the 'Legends' that I grew up listening to. I have always said 'I couldn't have lived in another time on this Earth other than our era'. I know it was meant to be for me to play music. I am a very fortunate man to be able to do what I love and mean it at the same time. I will always be a Singer until the day I die. I just want everyone to know that! Give me my guitar and a stage and I'm a happy man. Music is what you make of it. You have to be good, very good to catch not only the ear of someone, but to make them remember you also. Believe me, it is always a challenge, and a BIG CHALLENGE at that! I do not profess to be the best at all, but that is my goal. But I try to be good at it in my own right because I have worked on it all my life. All of the Great Singers out there that I admire so much, if it weren't for them I would have never been able to learn what I know now. Music is the only life I've ever know as well as I do. I thank God for it, and all the Fans that I have and all my Friends and Loved Ones who believe in me and have stood by me. If it were not for them, I would have never gotten to this place that I am today. That place is HAPPY!!! Let me tell you, it is a wonderful place to be. I appreciate you taking the time to read my life story and I want to 'Thank You' so much for your kindness and your support. BILLY PAYNE Press Reviews Cheatham Street Warehouse Spirit Of The Outlaws Show Sept. 23, 2007 HERALD - ZEITUNG New Braunfels, Texas By Dale Martin Contributor Published October 10... By Dale Martin Contributor Published October 10, 2007 Speaking of Cheatham Street Warehouse, if you were lucky enough to catch the Spirit of the Outlaws concert last month, you witnessed a truly special night. The house band for the night was the Waylors, Waylon Jennings' original group. A wide variety of artists took the opportunity to stop by and join these musical legends onstage, including Chris Wall, Dale Watson and host Brigitte London. Of all the musicians that appeared, the night belonged to Billy Payne. Traveling all the way from West Virginia for the chance to play with his heroes, Payne stole the show with his four song tribute to Ol' Waylon. With his black hat pulled low and the leather covered Telecaster, it brought back haunting memories of an era when Waylon and his band ruled the world. Payne and the Waylors hit their stride on 'This Time,' Waylon's first No. 1 single. For everyone who witnessed this amazing set, it was like entering a time machine and going back to 1974, when music really mattered and musicians played every show as though it might be their last. Payne made such an impression on this legendary band that they have agreed to join him in the studio to record some of his original songs, proving once again that when musicians come together for the right reason, magical things happen. In an interview I did with Waylon's drummer, Richie Albright, he spoke highly of Payne's talent. 'Of all the singers that have joined us for the outlaws concerts, Billy is one of the best,' Albright said. ' He certainly knows Waylon's songs and is very respectful of the music.' Payne is such a fan of Waylon's music that he carved a statue of Waylon out of wood used in local coal mines and presented it to Jennings in 1995. Waylon put the statue on his mantel at his Phoenix home, where it remains today. dale@martinsmusic.com A Press Release from July 2002 Billy Payne Making His Mark In Nashville, TN. July 2002 AlLL STAR PUBLICITY 9 Music Square South * PMB 177* Nashville, TN 37203 Office: 615-264-3637 * Fax: 615-826-7393 PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release* Wednesday, July 10, 2002 Billy Payne Making His Mark In Nashville Receives Award, Interviewed On WSM Radio and Appears On The Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree [Nashville] - It was a big weekend in Nashville for West Virginia resident Billy Payne. Payne, who records for Nashville-based Aaron Records, was honored by his label with a plaque honoring his song 'Nadine' reaching the # 8 position on the National Independent Country Charts. As a result of his national chart achievement Payne was invited to appear on the world famous Ernest Tubb Midnite, the second longest running radio show in history, second only to the Grand Ole Opry which immediately precedes it's broadcast. Payne was introduced by host David Frizzell, performed two songs and then surpised by Aaron Records President Jim Case who presented Payne with the plaque recognizing his chart success. Following the Midnite Jamboree broadcast, Payne was whisked across the street to the studios of WSM Radio 650 in The Opryland Hotel for a 90 minute segment on the 'Opry Star Spotlight' Show hosted by Johnny 'K' Koval. Payne talked about his career and performed two songs live with his guitar. Johnny 'K' also played five cuts from Payne's 'No Limit On Love' album. Payne performs with his band regularly in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky,Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Two upcoming dates of note include an appearance at the West Virginia State fair in Lewisburg, WV on Monday August 12, 2002 and a performance at Jamboree USA in Wheeling, WV on Saturday, September 14, 2002 opening for Billy 'Crash' Craddock.

BILLY PAYNE A Country Music Singer for the last 16 years has been awarded for his work in music. His First Album No Limit On Love gained him Popularity. Most recently he has received airplay and reviews for his second release Back To The Simple Life, All over the World including Canada, Europe, Spain, New Zealand and Australia and just completed an Interview with Allegheny Mountain Radio in Holland The Billy Payne Story which aired in Holland U.K, West Virgina, Virginia and Kentucky May 2006 and April 2006 He landed on the Country Club Music Charts in EUROPE at # 4 with Blue Skies Mountain Air & Clear Water from that Album. Just as of August 12th 2006 Billy has been receiving Heavy Airplay across Europe. According to ARA Radio 103.3 MHz and 105.2 MHz in Europe. ARA Radio in Europe just completed an interview with Billy recorded June 2006 in Nashville, Tn. and is playing all across Europe. During the late '60s if you happened to be walking by the home of Billy and Anna Payne you would have heard the country music sounds of George Jones, Bill Anderson, Charley Pride and little eight year-old Billy Payne. Billy's family lived in the Appalachian Mountains of southern West Virginia, an area known for country music. The Payne name was known in the area as being synonymous with music since Billy's ancestors had been playing for dances, family and church functions there for a number of years. Billy has lived in that same area all his life. At about age four, he can remember watching Porter Wagoner and Bill Anderson on television and his love affair with country music was started. At about age eight Billy took an interest in listening to records and his first two albums were Johnny Cash at San Quentin and The Best Of Charley Pride, a testament to his love of traditional country music. Billy was also a big fan of George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, Jr. and Willie Nelson and credits them as the reasons he wanted to become a country singer. Billy got his first guitar at age 12 and, after teaching himself to play, started playing and singing around the house. As a teenager, he spent many hours practicing and recording him self at home before he finally got enough confidence to step on a stage in 1991. During most of 1991, Billy played at a local nightclub as a member of a house band called Country Tradition. Later that year he helped form another local country group called Bandolero and worked with them until early 1992. It was also in 1992 that Billy started writing songs and by mid-summer he had formed his own band called Sidewinder. That group worked nightclubs, private parties, festivals and fairs (including the West Virginia State Fair) throughout most of the state until late 1999, becoming one of the most popular bands in the area. In 1998 Billy and the band entered a contest near Charleston, West Virginia where they won first place. A video of their performance eventually reached Jim Case, president of Aaron Records in Nashville. Case contacted Billy about meeting with him and following the meeting; Billy was signed to Aaron Records to do a one-album project. The album was produced in Nashville, Tennessee buy Jim Case and engineered by well-known producer Buddy Hyatt. Billy's first single, 'No Limit On Love' was released to radio stations in the United States and Europe in May 2000. Well-known Nashville songwriters Freddy Weller and Bobby Fisher, and Bobby's son Robbi, penned the title song, which took Billy all the way to the Independent Country chart landing at # 9 in December 2000. Since then Billy has seen more chart success with his second single 'Nadine' penned by legend Chuck Berry was released to worldwide radio and in the summer of 2002 Billy's single 'Nadine' reached the top ten Indie Country Chart at # 8. In July of 2003 Billy's third single 'She Got Away With Good-Bye' reached the Indie Country chart at # 27 and The Top Independent Country Artist of The World Chart at # 27 also in July 2003. The 'No Limit On Love' album has brought Billy Payne recognition all over the world for the past 6 years since it's release in 2000. With album reviews in Canada, Europe, and radio play all over the world to his credit. Billy has been a guest on Oprystar Spotlight on WSM, the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree in Nashville, Tennessee and The Capital Music Hall in Wheeling, WV. Billy has moved up to the second phase of his recording career, no longer with the Aaron label. Billy and producer Buddy Hyatt was in the studio late 2004 for his new project 'Back To The Simple Life', recorded at Fun House Studio in Nashville, Tennessee and released in February 2005. Thus far the album is already receiving recognition in the U.S., Europe, Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. No matter what the future holds for Billy Payne, one thing for sure -- he will be a die-hard country singer to the end. His genuine personality, and great talent should take him a long way. BIOGRAPHY OF BILLY PAYNE: I was raised in a small community. The same place I have been all my life. A Coal Camp. My Dad was and still is a Very Hard Working Man. He is retired, but you can't tell him that. He always has to be doing something. My Mother is retired and she likes it!!! They are wonderful people and I love them dearly and so does everyone that knows them. Neither one of them is musically inclined. I have a Brother - six years my junior. He's not a Singer he is a Surface Miner by trade, just like my Dad. When I was a child I used to ride in the back window of our car. I didn't ride in the seat, I really liked to lay down and look up at the sky and the stars and just think and listen to the radio. I did this in every vehicle we had until I couldn't fit up there anymore. When I was in the first grade my Parents bought me three Christmas presents that year. One being a flip-up lid type record player and two long play LP's. 'Johnny Cash at San Quentin' and 'The Best Of Charley Pride'. This was my first 'trip' down the Country Music Highway. I say 'trip' because that is what it was in my mind. I was just mesmerized by the sound I heard. I was on a 'journey' that I really saw coming early in my life, but did not know when. But I knew what I wanted because I would act the part, stand in front of a mirror and sing my heart out. I would pretend to be Johnny, Charley, or the other Country Singers that I watched on television back then, such as Porter Wagner and Bill Anderson. By the early 70's I was knocked out by the 'Outlaw Movement' even though George Jones is still one of my favorite Country Singers. The music of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson was it for me. It has an edge to it that other country music does not. Well for me it does. I was doing the same thing, pretending to be those guys not knowing I was really practicing to be what I am today. Time went on and I never walked away from music. I always had to have the latest new LP or 8-track from either one of those men. I would buy them and listen to each one over and over again. I was hooked. It was definitely an addiction so to speak. I just had to have it! I would ride my bike with an 8-track player tied to the handlebars so I could listen to all of my music. I bought the music with the money I was making cutting my Grandmother's lawn. I can remember listening to Hank Williams, Jr. singing 'Angels Are Hard To Find' over and over 'til I learned every word. That was one of my favorite songs back then and still is today. I also would listen to George Jones like he was the only man on earth. I would collect everything I could find of him and sing all of his songs too. And of course Elvis also. But that goes without saying. Then there was Merle Haggard. He had the same edge as Waylon & Willie to me. I always like to hear Merle, Waylon, & Willie play their guitars and wish they would play more riffs on their albums than they did. They always left me wanting more. I love to hear a guitar really talk especially the way they could make the guitar sound. Without a doubt, they are the reason I play guitar today. I got my first guitar around the age of 12. My Dad bought it from his first Cousin for $12 dollars. I wanted it so bad. I can remember it was a Silvertone Black with white binding 'F' note. The reason for getting it for $12 dollars is that I can remember my Dad asking how much his Cousin wanted for it, and he asked my Dad how much would he pay and Dad said, 'I'll give you what I have in my pocket'. Then his Cousin said 'okay'. It was the only $12 dollars my Dad had at the time. I'll never forget that ever! I kept it for a long time until it was damaged and unrepairable. I wish I still had it today. That was when I would sit and play guitar with my Cousin and watch them and try to learn everything they did and go home and play it. But I could only play it my way. I just couldn't get it to sound like they did. I basically taught myself how to play the guitar. I'm sure glad I did. I love it so much!! But to get back to the music. I would sing at home then after I was grown, I joined a Local Band and played a brief stint with them, and then helped form another Band and then six months later - I had my own Band and I still do. That is all I've ever wanted to do. So I do just that. I get on the stage and I sing to the crowd and I use the stage presence that I learned from all of my Heroes. I love the 'Legends' that I grew up listening to. I have always said 'I couldn't have lived in another time on this Earth other than our era'. I know it was meant to be for me to play music. I am a very fortunate man to be able to do what I love and mean it at the same time. I will always be a Singer until the day I die. I just want everyone to know that! Give me my guitar and a stage and I'm a happy man. Music is what you make of it. You have to be good, very good to catch not only the ear of someone, but to make them remember you also. Believe me, it is always a challenge, and a BIG CHALLENGE at that! I do not profess to be the best at all, but that is my goal. But I try to be good at it in my own right because I have worked on it all my life. All of the Great Singers out there that I admire so much, if it weren't for them I would have never been able to learn what I know now. Music is the only life I've ever know as well as I do. I thank God for it, and all the Fans that I have and all my Friends and Loved Ones who believe in me and have stood by me. If it were not for them, I would have never gotten to this place that I am today. That place is HAPPY!!! Let me tell you, it is a wonderful place to be. I appreciate you taking the time to read my life story and I want to 'Thank You' so much for your kindness and your support. BILLY PAYNE Press Reviews Cheatham Street Warehouse Spirit Of The Outlaws Show Sept. 23, 2007 HERALD - ZEITUNG New Braunfels, Texas By Dale Martin Contributor Published October 10... By Dale Martin Contributor Published October 10, 2007 Speaking of Cheatham Street Warehouse, if you were lucky enough to catch the Spirit of the Outlaws concert last month, you witnessed a truly special night. The house band for the night was the Waylors, Waylon Jennings' original group. A wide variety of artists took the opportunity to stop by and join these musical legends onstage, including Chris Wall, Dale Watson and host Brigitte London. Of all the musicians that appeared, the night belonged to Billy Payne. Traveling all the way from West Virginia for the chance to play with his heroes, Payne stole the show with his four song tribute to Ol' Waylon. With his black hat pulled low and the leather covered Telecaster, it brought back haunting memories of an era when Waylon and his band ruled the world. Payne and the Waylors hit their stride on 'This Time,' Waylon's first No. 1 single. For everyone who witnessed this amazing set, it was like entering a time machine and going back to 1974, when music really mattered and musicians played every show as though it might be their last. Payne made such an impression on this legendary band that they have agreed to join him in the studio to record some of his original songs, proving once again that when musicians come together for the right reason, magical things happen. In an interview I did with Waylon's drummer, Richie Albright, he spoke highly of Payne's talent. 'Of all the singers that have joined us for the outlaws concerts, Billy is one of the best,' Albright said. ' He certainly knows Waylon's songs and is very respectful of the music.' Payne is such a fan of Waylon's music that he carved a statue of Waylon out of wood used in local coal mines and presented it to Jennings in 1995. Waylon put the statue on his mantel at his Phoenix home, where it remains today. dale@martinsmusic.com A Press Release from July 2002 Billy Payne Making His Mark In Nashville, TN. July 2002 AlLL STAR PUBLICITY 9 Music Square South * PMB 177* Nashville, TN 37203 Office: 615-264-3637 * Fax: 615-826-7393 PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release* Wednesday, July 10, 2002 Billy Payne Making His Mark In Nashville Receives Award, Interviewed On WSM Radio and Appears On The Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree [Nashville] - It was a big weekend in Nashville for West Virginia resident Billy Payne. Payne, who records for Nashville-based Aaron Records, was honored by his label with a plaque honoring his song 'Nadine' reaching the # 8 position on the National Independent Country Charts. As a result of his national chart achievement Payne was invited to appear on the world famous Ernest Tubb Midnite, the second longest running radio show in history, second only to the Grand Ole Opry which immediately precedes it's broadcast. Payne was introduced by host David Frizzell, performed two songs and then surpised by Aaron Records President Jim Case who presented Payne with the plaque recognizing his chart success. Following the Midnite Jamboree broadcast, Payne was whisked across the street to the studios of WSM Radio 650 in The Opryland Hotel for a 90 minute segment on the 'Opry Star Spotlight' Show hosted by Johnny 'K' Koval. Payne talked about his career and performed two songs live with his guitar. Johnny 'K' also played five cuts from Payne's 'No Limit On Love' album. Payne performs with his band regularly in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky,Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Two upcoming dates of note include an appearance at the West Virginia State fair in Lewisburg, WV on Monday August 12, 2002 and a performance at Jamboree USA in Wheeling, WV on Saturday, September 14, 2002 opening for Billy 'Crash' Craddock.